1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of language interpretation and more specifically relates to equipment and methods for providing real-time interpretation for remote locations such as a courtroom.
2. Background Art
The world is an increasingly heterogeneous environment with people from many different cultures and nations mixing together and interacting as they migrate from place to place. This tremendous growth in diverse populations is not without its problems. For example, the continued influx of immigrants into the United States has created a new set of issues in the legal community, including different cultural norms and a diversity of languages that may present a barrier to the effective and efficient operation of the traditional legal process.
In order to assist people from other countries and nations with the intricacies of the legal process, the use of interpreters in environments like the courtroom has become more prevalent. By using interpreters to assist people who don't speak the native language employed by the legal system, the rights of the individual and the integrity of the legal system can be maintained.
It is now at least somewhat routine to enter a courtroom and see the plaintiff and/or the defendant represented not only by an attorney, but also by an interpreter. The interpreter can be a critical part of the process as the interpreter ensures that the individuals involved in the legal proceeding understand what is happening. This can be a significant benefit for people who are not conversant in English as they attempt to navigate the already stormy seas of civil litigation or criminal proceedings.
While the use of interpreters in the courtroom is a fairly common occurrence, there are some issues associated with the practice. For example, trained legal interpreters are not readily available in all locations and at all times. Additionally, given the wide variety of languages now found in American society, there is a high probability that an appropriate interpreter will not be available for all possible languages. Finally, the cost associated with providing legal proceedings in a wide variety of languages can be daunting from the budgetary perspective of most municipal and state governments. Accordingly, without improvements in the current procedures and methods for providing legal translation services, the process will continue to be sub-optimal.